After lunch, I could smell the rustling sound of leaves outside being blown by the wind, and Xuan Ling had already walked in. Swallowing novels www. Huanbi hurriedly helped me get up to greet me. Because I was pregnant, I met Xuan Ling in private.
When Ling met me, he was just giving me a look. He had already stretched out his hand to hold my arm and smiled lightly, "I'm older and I'm inconvenienced, so there's no need to go to the palace gate to greet me."
Li Chang was imprisoned for a crime and no longer served Xuan Ling. Instead, Li Chang's apprentice Xiao Xiazi followed behind with a whisk. I was secretly frightened. If the queen does not do it, it will be fine. If she does, she will act vigorously and resolutely. I
Just pretending not to see him, he and Xuan Ling went into the inner hall hand in hand.
It was inevitable that Xiaoxiazi was a little unfamiliar when he was on duty for the first time. He lowered his head and accidentally took a step faster, almost touching the corner of Xuan Ling's robe.
It’s only been a day, why am I getting so fussy?”
I saw the circles under Xiao Xiazi’s eyes were slightly red. I thought it was because he had just cried about his master’s affairs. His eyes were almost turned into peaches. I smiled quickly and said, “How old is Xiao Xiazi? How old is Xiao Xiazi? The emperor also treats his qi with him? You need more experience.
That’ll be fine.”
Xiaoxiazi took two steps back in embarrassment and almost tripped over the little eunuch behind him. Xuan Ling became more and more unhappy and said: "Li Chang is not here, these people seem to have lost their rules, and nothing is done well."
——I am angry just talking about it. The water provided by Yiyuan Palace is not 70% hot. It is either cold or so hot that it burns your mouth. The books on the bookshelf originally had maple leaves as bookmarks, but they were so good that they gave them to me.
It’s stuffed with camphor leaves. The camphor leaves are so thick and smelly, how can they be stuck in a book? What a bunch of stupid people.”
"A group of good horses needs to be led by an old horse who knows the way to go smoothly. What's more, they are people who always obey orders. Now that Li Chang has been detained for doing something wrong, they are naturally wandering around like headless flies.
." I pursed my lips and smiled, stretched my sleeves, grabbed a handful of fresh chrysanthemum petals from the silk-wrapped white agate saucer, put them into the tea cup, sprinkled it with crushed rock sugar, poured it with freshly boiled water, and let it cool down.
, and mixed some cold water, Fang Han smiled and said softly: "The chrysanthemum tea I have brewed right now, your Majesty, can you try it and still drink it? It's 70% hot."
Xuan Ling took a sip and then calmed down. I smiled lightly and softly, pointed to the chrysanthemums under the window and said: "Now that it is autumn, drinking chrysanthemums is the most popular time."
Xuan Ling glanced at the chrysanthemums and said with a smile: "It's time for the chrysanthemums to bloom. It seems that someone among them likes chrysanthemums very much."
I was slightly startled and then said, "It's Sister Mei."
Xuan Ling put his hand on his forehead and said with a smile: "I am confused. The place where she lived used to be called Cunju Hall. Two days ago, I asked someone to bring newly bloomed chrysanthemums to Tangli Palace for her to enjoy."
Ling caressed my forehead, and his smile was as soft as the soft waves on the lake after the new rain, "The queen just told me about Li Chang and Cui Jinxi. Teng was afraid that you would be sad and hurried over. Cui Jinxi's matter has nothing to do with you, you
Just don’t take it too seriously.”
When I heard what he said, I felt worried, and I lowered my head slightly. A fine crystal ball hung down from the beaded hibiscus crystal smeared forehead, brushing it coolly and smoothly, and a coolness slowly grew in my eyebrows.
Come on. I felt quite aggrieved, "As the Empress said, after I became pregnant, I felt overwhelmed and unable to do anything. I would not blame you. However, it is my fault for not restraining the palace people."
Xuan Ling sighed: "If it is as you said, Li Chang has been serving me since he was a child, wouldn't I be even less capable of discipline and restraint? There is nothing you and I can do about what they have done wrong." Xuan Ling saw that
I looked quite depressed, and approached me and said softly: "Jinxi has always been a helpful person by your side. Now that something like this happened, it is not only her fault, but it also hurts your face. I am afraid that you will eat your heart."
I came here in a hurry to see you, don't worry me."
My heart was scratching like a cat's paw, and I tried my best to smile and said: "Yes. How dare I make the emperor worry and trouble me. It's just that after such an incident, I don't have any peace of mind."
Xuan Ling caressed my swollen belly lovingly, held my hand and whispered softly: "Now that you are pregnant, everything must be done with your pregnancy as the priority. When the queen's health is good, the affairs of the harem will be left to her.
Having said that, if you really can’t bear to part with Cui Jinxi, I’ll ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to choose a better one for you.”
I couldn't help him for a while after hearing his words, so I had to be patient and deal with it. After dinner together, Xu Jinliang sent someone another green-headed sign to ask him to "turn over the sign." Xuan Ling comforted me for a long time and chose
After checking out the Yan Changzai brand, I also went to Luniju.
I stopped outside the palace gate and watched Xuan Ling go away, and then entered the palace garden. At this time, the autumn wind blowing in my face had a rustling feeling, and the autumn season in August always makes people feel sad. I was quiet for a while.
Jing's thoughts were anxious and confused, and she said calmly: "Change clothes and make up, let's go to Yuzhao Palace."
At the same time, Hua Yi was very anxious and pulled my sleeve and said: "Why didn't the empress ask the emperor just now? Now the only one who can suppress the empress is the emperor. If the empress goes to plead for mercy, she may be able to ask the emperor to forgive Jin Xi."
I shook my head sadly and said: "The queen came well prepared, and she has firmly grasped the handle, and there are palace regulations to suppress it. I'm afraid the emperor can't say anything. If I go to ask for it, the queen will just ask you to enter the urn and give me shelter and indulgence."
sin."
Hua Yi was sad and confused, and said: "What should we do? If the empress is also implicated, no one can save Jin Xi."
Without saying much at the moment, he hurriedly freshened up and ordered the sedan chair to go to Yuzhao Palace.
As we walked to Shanglin Garden, I turned to ask Xiao Yunzi who was following me, "Did you find out where Jinxi is now?"
Xiao Yunzi hesitated slightly, but settled on the same thing: "I will be detained in the violent room for the time being."
I pondered for a moment and said, "Turn around, let's go to the violence room."
Xiao Yunzi was startled, and quickly tried to dissuade her with a smile: "The place in the rape room is extremely hot and stuffy. How can I go there when my wife is pregnant? It's better to avoid it."
I didn't take it seriously, plucked the pearl on my earring, and said slowly: "I have been in and out of the cold palace many times, so what should I avoid in a mere violent house?"
Xiao Yunzi repeatedly advised: "I know that the empress is worried about Jin Xi, so why don't I go and go for the empress? If the empress knows that the empress personally visits Jin Xi, I don't know how much trouble will arise."
I frowned slightly, glanced at him and said, "I'm getting more verbose. I'm going to see her in person. I have something to ask her, so you can lead the way. If the Queen wants to blame me, I'll bear the responsibility."
Little Yunzi bowed with a straight face and said, "I really don't want to talk too much, I'm not going to talk too much. It's unbearably hot and miserable in the bedroom, and it's already hard for my wife to be pregnant. Even if I don't plan for myself, I still have to block the evil spirit of the bedroom for the little prince."
"
I lowered my head and smiled gently, caressing my belly and said, "If you can't bear the sweltering heat, how can you be my Zhen Huan's child? Just go ahead."
Since I was so determined, how could Xiao Yunzi dare to persuade me anymore, so I had to lead the sedan chair to the depths of Yongxiang. The storm room was at the end of Yongxiang, with several low bungalows connected side by side, like a silent giant beast.
Hidden in the dark night with eager eyes. I held Huanbi's hand down and felt a rush of heat rushing towards my face. Huanbi said in surprise: "It's so warm here!"
The Bao Chamber, also called the Exposure Chamber, was under the jurisdiction of the Ye Ting Order. Its duties were weaving, dyeing and training, so it was named Bao Shao. Later, the guilty people in the palace were imprisoned in this room, and they mostly performed hard labor such as pounding rice, so it was also called the Bao Chamber Prison.
.
It was just warm outside, but as soon as I stepped into the bathroom, I felt a thin layer of sweat coming out. The bathroom was very clean, and could almost be described as spotless. Each bungalow was separated by iron railings.
There were several rooms occupied, and although it was still early autumn, the floor was covered with extremely thick straw, and even the bedding on one side was a thick winter quilt. Because the room was dry, the room was filled with the withered fragrance of straw.
Huanbi held my hand and said unconsciously: "It's so hot here, why do you use such a thick bedding?"
Little Yunzi didn't dare to raise her eyebrows, and only let out a faint breath. I frowned, and said pitifully: "Using such thick bedding and hay is also a form of torture. It's already bitter and hot, and it's even more painful to cover yourself up."
Prickly heat is coming."
As a result, I became more and more worried about Jin Xi. At this time, the storm room was extremely quiet and empty. I could only hear the sound of pounding rice from somewhere in the distance.
Xiao Yunzi's eyebrows were full of sympathy, and she led me forward. Behind me was a huge warehouse-like room, which was extremely hot. I only stood there for a short time before sweating profusely. The warehouse
There stood a group of women in commoner clothes and jade hairpins, holding wooden pestles in hand and pounding the grains into shells in stone mortars. The remaining snow-white grains are the white rice that is often eaten.
Rice pounding is extremely hard work. If a court official commits a serious crime, his wife and daughter will not be allowed to serve as maids in the palace, and they will generally serve as rice laborers, specifically called "handmaids."
Officials, their wives and daughters became "handmaids", and they all sighed sadly: "It would be better to die." This shows the heavy work of pounding rice. Even Empress Lu, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, hated his favorite concubine, Mrs. Qi, and chased her to pound rice day and night, so that Qi Qi
The lady cried day and night, and her life was worse than death.
Xiao Yunzi looked down at her toes and lowered her voice: "Anyone who enters the violent chamber, no matter whether it is a prisoner or a maid, only sleeps for two hours a day, and spends the rest of the time pounding rice. If there is any slack..."
Before Xiao Yunzi could say anything, she heard a loud crack of a whip, and she could almost hear the sound of flesh exploding when it touched her flesh. A strong woman put her hands on her hips and scolded her harshly: "You bitch, do you still want to be lazy when you get here?" The woman couldn't eat it.
In pain, she lowered her face and began to cry. After crying twice, two more whips came down, and she scolded: "Why are you crying, Jiao Didi? Why don't you pound two more buckets of rice when you have time to cry? You still think you are so noble!"
Not to mention the bitter heat of being exposed in a violent chamber, but also having to do such hard and heavy work, and being whipped constantly. It is no wonder that anyone who enters the violent chamber will die here within March or May. Thinking of this, I become more and more anxious, Xiao Yunzi
Seeing my eyes, he hurriedly went to the strong woman and whispered a few words in her ear.
The strong woman came up to her with a smile on her face, and said respectfully: "I don't know that it's Concubine Wan, Concubine Wan, who is here to say hello to you." Then she said with sincerity and fear: "Ye Tingling is not here. I'm here to take care of these criminal women in the violent room. I want you to do it."
Why don't you, my slave, go and ask Ye Tingling to come and talk to your empress?"
The warehouse was stuffy and hot. I was hit by the sour smell of sweat on her body and felt even more dizzy. I tried my best to smile and said: "That's no need. I'm just stopping by to take a look. Since you are in charge of the guilty woman."
, I just want to ask you. There is a person named Cui Jinxi——"
Her smile was so full that it almost dripped, and she hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, I have only been here for two days, and I am pounding rice inside." She carefully looked at my face, "Do you want to see her?"
I smiled and said, "Auntie, it seems inconvenient."
She responded like a chicken pecking at rice: "Convenient, convenient." After saying that, she pulled an unkempt woman from the depths of the crowd to me and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, please speak slowly, and I will go and watch those people."
Seeing her walking away, I grabbed Jin Xi's hand and said anxiously: "Jin Xi, are you okay?"
Jin Xi didn't say anything, but slowly bent down and softened, crying: "It's my fault, I've made my Majesty the victim of laughter, and I have no shame to see my Majesty again."
As soon as I reached out and touched her face, it was full of tears. I was shocked and couldn't help but feel sad. Jinxi has a resolute nature, and I have never seen her weak at all. She is always sober and rational. She is so sad at the moment,
Firstly, she was afraid of implicating me, and secondly, the matter between her and Li Chang was not very honorable. Now it was causing a storm in the city, and everyone regarded it as a joke after dinner. She has always been strong, how could she endure it. I bent down with great effort, and touched her sharply with the palm of my hand.
His back was bulging after losing weight, and he said distressedly: "Don't worry, how can I still come to see you if you have hurt me? But you, on the other hand, got to where you are today because of your wholeheartedness for me. I can't always forgive you."
"I think it was because of the hard work and sadness these past two days that the veins on the back of Jin Xi's hands bulged out like small snakes. I pulled her and said, "Don't worry, I will always find a way to save you."
Jinxi shook her head, with a face of calm despair, "Why bother worrying about this slave when your wife is pregnant? I know that once this happens, there will be no good results, let alone it falls into the hands of the queen. Even if my wife rescues this slave and goes out, this slave
How do we behave as a human being? It’s better to fend for ourselves here.”
I lifted her disheveled hair and said in a deep voice: "Jinxi, you were the one who advised me before, but now it's me who advises you. Death is the easiest thing to do, and it's the end of the world if you hang it by the neck. However, if this is the case,
If you die, not only will your loved ones be hurt and your enemies will be happy, but you will also die for others, which is the most unworthy." I stood up suddenly, and my words fell like a rock, "Given our years of love, you believe me."
Jinxi's eyes were slightly distracted, and she said, "I believe this." I understood her suspicions, but even I was not completely sure. Her eyes were as caring and warm as ever, "My queen has a body of gold, there is no need to come to the violence room again."
I’m here to see you, I’ll take care of myself.”
I felt sad, nodded and said, "I know, but do you know where Li Chang is now?"
Jin Xi smiled sadly, "Zuo just suffered the same as a slave. If he wasn't a slave, he would still be his chief supervisor." After long hours of labor and heat, Jin Xi's lips were chapped and bleeding.
It was like an extremely delicate and dazzling red plum blooming on her lips, "Originally I didn't think anything of him, we just used each other to rely on each other to survive. Now this matter is about to get into trouble..." She pondered for a moment, and actually showed a smile,
"If I'm not afraid of your Majesty's jokes, Chang Li refused to give up my slave that day. Somehow, I felt that he was sincere."
Her words aroused the secret true love in my heart, and I only said: "It is the rarest thing to see a friend in need."
"Yes!" Jin Xi sighed: "I used to see your empress and..." She kept silent and paused: "I always thought they were a beautiful couple, but now that I have experienced it myself, I realize that 'a friend in need is a friend indeed'
The weight of a few words."
I was silent for a moment before leaving the room. Xiao Yunzi went to ask the woman just now not to treat Jin Xi too harshly, and then the group went to Yuzhao Palace.
In the cool autumn season, everywhere else is covered with yellow leaves, like a golden brocade blanket. However, Xu Jieyu's empty green hall is still full of sparse vegetation, with no withered and yellow color at all, only the deep and shallow green of the empty green hall.
Wrapped in it, even half of the dead leaves on the ground were not visible, and it was swept so that there was no trace of dust.
Before it was time to turn on the lamp, the light in the inner hall was already much darker. Xu Jieyu stood alone in front of the shelves full of books. She held a volume of "Three Words and Two Patterns" and was fascinated by it. Her whole body seemed to be hidden in the bright and shining light.
Wherever you go, the atmosphere of books is vague and lingering.
I raised my face, and Huanbi found an excuse to pull Chishao out together. Fang looked at her with a smile and said, "Jieyu is studying hard, and I am here at the wrong time."
Xu Jieyu smiled softly and said half-jokingly: "I was about to have dinner, and your Majesty came at the right time."
A small piece of her profile was exposed under the darkening sky, like a piece of bright jade, crystal white and translucent. She smiled softly, like the rain of apricot blossoms that wet her clothes in early March, hazy and
Qing Ruan said, "Something happened in the palace. Is it possible that the queen comes to have a heart-to-heart talk with my concubines at this time?"
She was extremely smart, so she didn't understand why I came. I simply smiled and said, "It's natural to have enlightenment when you talk to smart people."
She put down the yellowed book, and her clothes were still stained with the fragrance of books. "I am not a smart person, but I can guess the purpose of my visit by judging others myself."
I smiled calmly, "My sister is so smart. It's useless for me to talk too much. I just wonder if my sister is willing to help me?"
Xu Jieyu caressed her neck lovingly, with a hint of coldness in her tenderness, "If there were no empress, there would be no concubines in the world, let alone the children of the concubines and the emperor in the future. For this reason,
The concubines will try their best to do what the empress said, in order to repay the concubine if anything happens to her." She paused for a moment, "There is only one thing. What the empress does must not hurt the emperor. Otherwise, please forgive me, concubine.
I can’t do it for that.”
"How could it be?" I suddenly smiled and looked into her clear eyes sincerely, "I only want to save Jinxi and Li Chang, and naturally it is for the sake of the emperor. Li Chang has served the emperor for many years and knows the emperor's temper best.
.Now that he is suddenly detained, on the one hand, he is manipulating the emperor's face, and on the other hand, there is no one around the emperor who knows how to serve, and everything is not going as he wants."
She thought about it and said, "Then, it depends on the queen's orders."
I smiled brightly and said, "I believe that Jieyu will do a good job and speak well, as long as she brings this meaning to her."
I whispered in her ear for a while. Xu Jieyu lowered her head slightly and thought. The light and shadow in front of the huge bookshelf outlined the slender and soft arc from her neck to her collarbone. Such a quiet posture, as if she was falling from the pages of a book.
The ink beauty who came out was thin and soft. She said quietly: "What the empress said is not difficult, but..." Her eyes were like the calm surface of the lake, looking at me quietly, "Concubines never spend too much time in front of the emperor.
Why does the empress ask a concubine to speak words?"
I stretched my long eyebrows and uttered a few words as if carelessly, "Because you rarely talk, what you say by chance will have the effect of inspiring people."
The night fell slowly from the sky like huge boundless wings. The platycodon in charge of the lamp lit the candles in the hall one by one. The brightness of the candles dyed her quiet face bit by bit, seeming to be covered with a layer of warmth.
Under the orange light, the corners of Xu Jieyu's mouth raised like a crescent moon, "Since the empress values me so much, I am willing to try my best."
After coming out of Yuzhao Palace, I felt a little tired. When I looked up, I saw the stars in the sky, almost like the Milky Way falling down, and the brilliance was dazzling. For a moment, I felt as if I was still in a trance under the Ganlu Temple.
When rafting, the star waves in the river sway, as if they are wandering in the Milky Way.
I almost thought so... However, beside me, on the tall and gorgeous sedan chair, there was no one else but myself. The walls were red and white, and mountains seemed to be endless, making it impossible to get out.
I couldn't place my deep loss and confusion. The magnificent and huge skirt blown by the wind was like gorgeous butterfly wings. Even if I wanted to fly high, I couldn't fly. I slowly pressed the corner of the skirt, all my expectations were just for this step.
Don't make the wrong move, just hope to save Jin Xi.